Lighter



G. W. MARTIN Sept. 26, 1950 LIGHTER Filed Nov. 1, 1947 Patented Sept. 26, 1950 UNITED STATES,Y iATENT OFFICE f` Y l* 2,523,510

. LIGHTER Glen W. Martin, Chicago, Ill.

Application November 1, 1947, Serial No. 783,575 3 Claims. (Cl. 67-4.1) t

The present invention relatesto an improved lighter for lightingV cigarettes, cigars, pipes and the like.

' the flint wheel II to direct the normal fraying Among the objects of my invention are: to

provide a novel lighter of the type referred to; to'provide aflighter having improved means for urging a flint against a friction wheel; to provide a lighter` having a` swingable and slidable supporting arm for compressing a spring for forcing a flint against a friction wheel;.to provide` novel means for holding the. spring compressing'l plate or arm in operable position and enabling quick opening of said plate or arm for supplying "a new int, or new spring; to provide novel means for detachably securing the lighter to the neck of a fuel container; to provide novel means for sealing the lighter tothe neck of a fuel container; and such further objects, advantages and capabilities, inherently possessed by my invention, as will later more fully appear.

My invention further' resides in the combination, construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and'while I have shown therein a preferred embodiment I wish it understood that the same is susceptible of modilication and change without departing from the spirit of .my invention. i

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a lighter embodying my invention, and showing the same applied to an ornamental fuel container. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the lighter of Fig. 1, taken on line 2-2 of Figure 3, showing the same applied to the neck portionof a fuel container.

Fig. 3 is a top plan View of Fig. 2. v Y Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical Section of the neck portion of `a fuel container showing an attachingrcollar secured therein.y

Figi-dis a vertical section of a modified form of fuel container having the attaching collar secured therein- Fig. .6 is a side elevation of a snufling lcap adapted to be applied over the wick and top end of the lighter. 1

My improved lighter,v as shownin the drawing Vfor illustrative purposes,;comp`rises a, wick tube `I having in'thexinterior'ofthe .wickopening a restriction 2 for preventing too easy removal ofof the wick toward the flint wheel. Fixed to the wick tube I, to extend laterally therefrom, is a projection 3 formed with an upwardly extending opening I preferably at a slight angle with the vertical. Formed in the wall of the opening 4, at its front and rear sides, is a pair of diametrically oppositely positioned slots 5 and 6 closed at their upper ends, these slots being adapted to slidably receive the upper arm I of a generally V-shaped spring indicated at 8 and also having a lower arm 9 positioned vbelow upper arm 'I and of substantially the same length.

The lupwardly extending opening I is adapted to slidably receive a flint I with its upper end contacting the roughened friction wheel II. Fixed either to the wick tube I or to the laterally extending projection 3, or both if desired, ris a housing I2 having two parallel side walls I3 and I4, which walls at their upper portions each project upwardly at I5 and are provided with alined apertures to receive the short shaft or pin I6 upon which the friction wheel is rotatably mounted.

Y Housing I2 preferably extends ardistance beyond the outer side of projection 3, and isformed with an integral cross `bar Il to brace the outer edges of the side walls. Cross bar lI terminates at its upper end below the friction wheel so as to leave room for convenient rotation thereof. This cross bar also terminates at its lower end upwardly of the bottom edge so as to leave room for the fulcrum pin I8, the closed end I9 of the spring member, and the curled-over ears 2i] Y formed at thel rear end of the supporting :arm or plate 2l.

Pin I8 is nxedat its opposite ends in the side walls E3 and I4 justinside of the open space 22 `between the lower edge of rear wall or cross bar Y y I'i-and the supporting arm 2|, to enable access to, and observation of, the V-shaped spring 8.

Asvwill be noted the ears (one on each side of spring 8) :are each formed with a somewhat elongatedslot 23 to permit the ears 2l] to have a slight forward Vand rearward' movement so that supporting arm'ZI, which is integral with said ears, willhave a corresponding movement. Y

l Formedon the adjacent side of wick tube I is a shoulder 24 over which the free end 25 of the supporting arm 2l may be positioned when-the supporting arm is slid thereover. As will be seen in Fig. 2 the spring member 8 has its upper leg 'I pressing upwardly against the dint and its lower les 9 pressing downwardly against supporting --in'slots-Sl -and rotated into slots `32. `vis adapted' to be --xed in any -desired manner at -33 -within a neck 3Q of la-fu'el container 35,-Which -may-lbe of any ornamental material and design.

:Provided around ythe Awick -tube just `below the annular flange 28 is a sealing ring 36 preferably of neoprene, but which may, ifdesired, vbe formed of any other sealing `material suitable -for'the purpose straight condition.

3 arm 2|. This simultaneously accomplishes two purposes, first, it presses the flint against the friction wheel and, second, it keeps the spring in position which presses the free end 25 of the supporting arm against shoulder 24 and frictionally holds it thereon. Formed on the lower face of supporting arm 2l is a projection 26 which may be readily grasped by the ngers of the operator to move the supporting arm inwardly or outwardly as desired. By virtue of the mounting of the laterally spaced ears 2B on the fulcrum pin I8, the supporting arm, when moved rearwardly to clear shoulder 24 will swing downwardly to expose the hollow interior of housing l2 to enable a new iiint l to be inserted therein and/or a new spring, as desired. As seen in Fig. 2, the upper leg 'l of the spring moves Lupwardly along the slot as the flint is slowly consumed during use. Also as the upper leg 'l of the spring moves further upwardly because of extreme shortness 'of the flint, the free end of said Yupper leg -will enter slott. v

Preferably the wick tube l is formed directly opposite the intermediate portion of the 4inner edges of the sidewalls I3 and i4 of the housing, with an annularly extending -rib 2l to support nthe snulingv cap as later explained. The wick As shown in Fig. 6 I have provided a cap 38 which may be easily and quickly placed over the top end of the wick tube to extinguish or snui the flame, which cap will be appropriately formed to pass over the adjacent portion of the housing I2 and lateral projection 3, and rest at its bottom end on the shoulder 21. This cap will be of an interior size to be easily and quickly applied to and removed from the wick tube, and is formed at its top with a disk cover 39 'extending at lil beyond the side walls to be easily grasped, and

provide an ornamental appearance.

= plastic or tube is'also formed slightly above its lower end with an outstanding annular flange 23. Fixed -to protrude on each side of the bottom end 'portion-of the Wick tube is a short pin 29, these l-pins being diametrically opposite each other.

Adapted to have the -bottom-endof the wick tube slidably inserted thereintois a collar (see Figs.

and 4) which-collar has a central cylindrical -opening and is formed on each Yof its diametri- -cally opposite inner sides with a bayonet slot 3| having a laterally extending end 32 to receive saidpins 29 when they are inserted downwardly Collar-'13B Assuming the-collar 30 to be -xed in the neck oi the fuel container, the lower end-0f the Awick .tube may be inserted into the collar with pins -29 in alinement with slots 3l and -the-wick tube and its Vassociated parts of Ythe Vlighter pushed downwardly to compress the sealing ring 3.5, after which the wick tube and `lighter may be rotated to bring pins -29 into fastened engagement with the slots 32. Neoprene being of such .nature as not to be ldetrimentally attacked by .lighter .-uid, forms a very successful Aseal for .this

purpose, and prevents 4leakage ofthe liquid fuel.

As'seen in Fig. 1 a wire or other-metal stifen' -ing strip 3l lmaybe fixed to the lower end of the wicktube and extend-downwardly .along the side offthe wick with any suitableY connection between the Wick and the wire at -or near the bottom, so as to more suitably maintain the wick in. a The fuel container 35 may comprise any suitably shaped ornamental container of glass, plastic or the like, which, when the lighter is attached theretoas shown in Figs.

1-3,rmay be placed upon Athe living room table Vor other support, and-'form an ornament foythe The' fuel container 35 may be of any desired shape and may if desired have cotton or other absorbent material positioned inside thereof as shown at [il in Fig. 5. A container of different shape lthan that shown in Fig. l is shown at 42 in Fig. 5 and if desired may have a tube of metal, other suitable material extending downwardly through the collar 3i] to near the bottom of the interior of the container, and receive at its upper end a cork 44 while the container is being displayed in stores or elsewhere as desired. Assuming the container to be lled with lighter fluid,.all that is necessary is to remove the cork 44, pull out the tube (i3, and insert the bottom end of the wick into the hole in the absorbent left by the tube, and` then insert the pins 2e into the bayonet slots. Use of the tube i3 while the fuel filled container is being handled in the stores for sale, maintains a cylindrical opening in the center of the absorbent material lll so that when .tube .d3 is removed at the time of use, said central hole will be preserved, and the absorbent material will be prevented from being crowded into said opening to embarrass the insertion of the wick therein when'applying the lighter to the container. l/Vhen the fuel container 42 is lled with lighter fluid without any absorbent material, the tube i3 may be omitted as suggested in Fig. 1.

lHaving described my invention I claim:

1. A lighter having a wick tube and a laterally extending projection formed with a flint-receiving opening, a hollow housing fixed with relation to said projection and extending laterally therebeyond, said housing having upwardly extending side walls in the upper end portions of which is rotatably Amounted a friction wheel, a fulcrum pin extending between said side walls in the lower outer corner of the housing, a supporting plate member having a pair of fulcrum ears seated over saidr pin to swingably support the supporting plate member, each of said ears having anelongated slot to enable longitudinal sliding movement of the supporting plate member, and a .V-shaped spring having its closed end seated over said pin, the wall-of saidint-receiving opening having a slot Within which one of the legs of said spring moves to press against va flint, a shoulder on the wick tube onwhich the free end of the supporting plate member seats when said supporting plate memberis slid toward the wick tube, the other leg of the spring'bearing against the supporting plate member to releasably hold said free end on the shoulder and permit it to be slid away from the wick tube to swing the supporting plate member away from' the bottom of the housing. Y

V2. VIn a lighter including a wick tube adapted Yto hold a wick with one end of the wick projecting therefrom, gilint tube adjacent-the wick tube adapted to hold a flint for sliding :movement therein with one end of the flint exposed adjacent the projecting end of the wick, and an abrasive wheel rotatably mounted adjacent the wick tube and normally in contact with the exposed end of the flint, apparatus comprising: a plate member adjacent the end of said ilint tube that is opposite said abrasive Wheel; a fulcrum pin spaced from said end of the int tube that is opposite said wheel, said plate member being hingedly mounted at an end thereof about said pin and having a lost motion connection on said pin to permit longitudinal movement of said plate member with respect to said pin; a support adjacent the end of said plate member that is opposite said pin and also adjacent said opposite end of the ilint tube, said plate member being normally held against said support but being movable out of engagement with said support on longitudinal movement of the plate member and then rotational movement of the plate member away from the flint tube to expose said opposite end of the flint tube; and a spring normally bearing against said flint to hold it against said wheel and normally bearing against said plate member Vto hold it in engagement with said support, said spring being released from said ilint and said plate member on movement of the plate member out of engagement with said support.

3. In a lighter including a wick tube adapted to hold a Wick with one end of the Wick projecting therefrom, a ilint tube adjacent the wick tube adapted to hold a flint for sliding movement therein with one end of the flint exposed adjacent the projecting end of the Wick, andan abrasive Wheel rotatably mounted adjacent the wick tube and normally in contact with the exposed end of the ilint, apparatus comprising: a plate member adjacent the end of said flint tube that isopposite said abrasive wheel, said plate member having a pair of fulcrum ears; a hinge pin lengaged by saidears with each ear havingV an elongated slot surrounding said pin to permit longitudinal sliding movement of said plate member with respect to said pin; a support adjacent the opposite end of said plate member and advl5 jacent said opposite end of the flint tube and against which said plate member is normally held, said plate member being movable out of engagement with said support to expose said opposite end of the flint tube by longitudinal sliding movement of said plate member relative to said pin and then rotary movement of the plate member around said pin and away from said opposite end of the flint tube; and a V-shaped springV having a middle portion passing around said hinge pin, one leg portion extending through a slot in said flint tube to bear against said flint and hold it against said Wheel, and having the other leg portion normally bearing against said plate member to hold it in frictional engagement with said support and said pin, said spring being released from said flint and said plate member on said longitudinal movement of the plate member out of engagement with said support and said rotation around said hinge pin in a direction away from said flint tube.

GLEN W. MARTIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

